Connection Handover Candidate Technical Specification 1.4 defines the structure and sequence of interactions that enable two NFC devices to establish a connection using other wireless communication technologies, such as Bluetooth or WLAN.

Candidate Version 1.4 adds the capability for an NFC device to communicate the availability of, or seek, specific services to use on the alternate carriers. This capability makes it easier for the user to launch a specific service on an alternate carrier.

This functionality is supported by the new Verb Record Type Definition (RTD) 1.0 Technical Specification and the Device Information RTD 1.0 Technical Specification, published last year. Connection Handover 1.4 also supports connections via an IP network, which adds the capability to do handover via the cloud.

Verb RTD 1.0 Technical Specification is a new specification. It is used to encode generic and carrier-specific supported services, which can then be used by implementations of the Connection Handover 1.4 candidate specification to offer an enhanced user experience. The Verb Record can, for example, encode the service to trigger the printing of a document or picture that will be transferred via the Bluetooth or WLAN connection.

NFC Logical Link Control Protocol (LLCP) 1.3 Technical Specification defines a protocol to support peer-to-peer communication between two NFC-enabled devices, which is essential for any NFC applications that involve bi-directional communications.

Version 1.3 adds a secure data transport mechanism, using industry-standard advanced cryptography for encryption and message authentication, to ensure the confidentiality of messages exchanged between peer devices. This mechanism ensures that data exchanged between two devices are automatically protected against eavesdropping. For example, the exchange of business contact data or a private phone number cannot be spied on by a third person.

Candidate specifications remain candidates for final release pending feedback from NFC Forum members and other standards organizations. By releasing candidate specifications, the NFC Forum enables organizations in the NFC ecosystem to begin integrating them into their own work.

This gives both NFC Forum members and other standards organizations an opportunity to accelerate their development and provide valuable feedback that can be incorporated into the final specifications. Once the feedback has been evaluated and integrated, the specification will be officially adopted and released by the NFC Forum.